Investigations in the Correctional Environment

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Investigations in the Correctional Environment
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The Prison Environment

• A changing, more complex and difficult to manage
  offender population
• Increased operational requirements due to illicit
  drug use, trafficking, gang activity, and
• Antiquated infrastructure and security equipment

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Who are the Inmates?

• Extensive histories of violence and violent
  crimes
• Previous youth and adult convictions,
  affiliations with gangs and organized crime,
• Higher rates of infection of Hepatitis C and
  Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
• Disproportionate representation of Aboriginal
  people
• Serious substance abuse histories
• Serious mental health disorders

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Strategic Objective

• Improving CSCs safety and security
  infrastructure, capacity and operations by
• More stringent control of entry to institutions,
  perimeter controls, searching and offender visits
• Expansion of detector dog teams
• Stronger security intelligence capacity
• Improved correctional officer training, and
• Better equipment, electronics to support safety
  and security initiatives

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The Investigative Process

• Aimed at operational improvement, not discipline
  based (a separate process applies)
• Competent senior managers investigators
• Dedicated capacity
• Consistent ant transparent reporting
• Clear timeframes, corrective measures and
  accountabilities
• Tracking of all commitments

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Investigative Process (6 months )

• Collect incident data 2 weeks
• Convene investigation 3 weeks
• Conduct investigation 11 weeks
• Review, distribute, corrective measures 7 weeks
• Review, acceptance by senior management 4-6 weeks
• Verify implementation of actions
• Closure of the investigative file

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Investigations

• Fiscal Year 2007-2008
• 89 national investigations
• 57 death or serious bodily injury
• local investigations not counted here

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Types of Incidents Investigated

• Institution
• Assault and multiple use of force against an
  inmate
• Assault, forcible confinement of a staff member
• Death, suicide, attempts, serious bodily injuries
• Hostage taking in the institution
• Alleged inappropriate injections of inmates
• Major disturbance and Inmate Injuries
• Escapes
• Overdoses

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Types of Incidents Investigated

• Community
• Death suicide, overdose, murder
• Hostage taking, forcible confinement, kidnapping
• Assault with a weapon
• Attempted murder, accessory to.. 
• Indignity to a body, sexual assault
• Robbery, drug trafficking, weapons offences
• 38 Deaths-Natural Cause grouped into three
  investigations

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Infrastructure Security Systems

• Perimeter intrusion systems
• Keeping inmates in
• Keeping drugs out
• Inmate control of movement
• Searching and detection
• Intelligence gathering (81 staff to169 by 2012)

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Staff Safety Systems

• Training
• Post assignment
• Surveillance and cameras
• Personal portable alarms
• Protective equipment
• Specialized units
• Lethal force

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Inmate Safety

• Classification and security levels
• Counts rounds and supervision
• Work and program assignment
• Compatibles and incompatibles
• Behavioural contracts
• Medication
• Security intelligence
• Defibrillators

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Public Safety

• Supervision teams
• Electronic monitoring
• Urinalysis testing
• Police surveillance
• Circles of Support and Accountability
• Parole officer emergency response equipment

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Technology, Deployment, Training and Threats

• Secure control - detection systems
• Perimeter (PIDS), infra-red/low light imaging
  goggles
• High volume walk-through drug detectors (pilot)
• Ion scanners, CO2 detection devices, metal
  detectors
• Drug dogs (46 to 126 teams by 2012)
• Visitor database
• Advanced cell phone detection and interception
  systems, high resolution cameras, X-ray machines
• Safes for the storage of drugs, including
  methadone

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Deployment

• New Deployment Standards
• Additional multi-function support on the morning
  shift in maximum security to increase response
  capacity
• Increase gallery supervision in maximum security
• Support additional detector dog handlers at all
  levels
• Enhance perimeter security patrols and 22 towers
  - maximum and medium security institutions), and
  
• Relieve staff for delivery of additional training
  days
• Structured training related to safety and
  security and gang management, and mental health
  orientation

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Threats-Challenges

• Interconnectivity among gangs in institutions and
  the community
• Security reclassification of gang members
• Active role of Security Intelligence
• Community intelligence results (institutional vs.
  community gangs)
• Employment and mobility of offenders with gang
  affiliations in the community.
• Vulnerable mental health population

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Impact of Investigations

• Identification of gaps in policies, training and
  contingency plans
• Identification of emerging threats to
  infra-structure and safe and secure custody
• Identification of emerging patterns of behaviour
• Corporate mitigation strategies to address
  corporate risk profile
• Identification of risk factors that are unique,
  undetectable, not perceived or unusual

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Security Systems Inherent Risks

• Compromising of Security Systems by Inmates
• Ability to observe and analyse CSC systems and
  structures over time
• Predictability of staff presence
• Repositioning of opportunities to compromise
  systems (ie scanners, visits, staff searches
  contractors, perimeter..)

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Security Systems The Imperative

• CSC must constantly assess and re-assess their
  operating environment and secure the necessary
  commitment (government, staff, public,
  stakeholders) to provide for the ongoing security
  structures that will ensure that risk is managed
  in a fashion prescribed and expected by Canadians.

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Security, Systems, Staff and Safety

• Questions???
• Comments !!!

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Security, Systems, Staff and Safety

• Thank You
• Drury Allen
• Director General
• Incident Investigations Branch
• The Correctional Service of Canada